David M. Gomez, PhD
Director
David Gomez is an international development, trade and value chain specialist with twenty years of experience working in the Caribbean, Africa and the South Pacific. He is co-founder and Managing Partner at Launchpad Consulting a respected professional advisory and project management firm established in 2000, and has worked at senior levels in the public and private sectors as well as with non-governmental organisations. He brings an extensive network of contacts across the various regions of the Commonwealth and the wider ACP alongside a strong familiarity with the challenges that Commonwealth members and constituents face in a rapidly changing global environment. He has advised senior level ministers of government, former heads of government, policy-makers, private sector leaders and small and medium enterprises and has proven successes with providing change management to small non-profits, including strengthening the capacity of their advisory boards, and has served as a board director himself to the Belize Business Bureau, the Belize National Coalition of Services Industries, the YMCA of Belize, and the Council for Voluntary Social Services. David is currently completing a PhD thesis in economic history and holds various post-graduate degrees with distinction in International Development, International Relations and International Trade Law.
[email protected]
Mr Richard Bourne (OBE)
Adviser
Mr Richard Bourne (OBE) (Adviser) was the Founder Director of the Commonwealth Policy Studies Unit, 1998-2005, and is a Senior fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies and was the first Director of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (1990-1993). He is currently a Senior Research Fellow at The Institute of Commonwealth Studies. Mr Bourne’s Commonwealth career began when he was appointed as the Deputy Director of the Commonwealth Institute, Kensington 1982-1989. He was a special adviser to the Commonwealth Secretariat for the Iwokrama Rainforest Programme in Guyana, held posts at Surrey University and the London Institute for Education, and ran the Commonwealth Non-Governmental Office for South Africa and Mozambique from 1995-7. Prior to this Mr Bourne was Education Correspondent for The Guardian and Deputy Editor for the London Evening Standard. Mr Bourne is an established author, his most recent book is called ‘Catastrophe: What Went Wrong in Zimbabwe?’, Zed Books, London, 2011. He is a former Trustee of the Ramphal Institute and currently serves as an Adviser.
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Kelsie Garbutt
Programme Lead - Climate Justice
Kelsie Garbutt is a graduate in Forensic Science from Kings College London and currently leads the Ramphal Institutes work programme on Climate Justice and the Commonwealth. She is passionate about addressing the unequal impacts of climate adversities, particularly as they relate to the Global South, of which she is a citizen. Enrolled in Terra.do’s Climate Action course to further her understanding of global mitigation and adaptation strategies, she aims to play a more active role in climate policy and research. In her spare time, she volunteers with climate action organisations like OnePlanet and Business Declares, actively promoting a collaborative approach to tackling the complex challenges posed by the climate crisis.
[email protected]
Ashraf Nehal
Programme Lead - Youth Engagement
Ashraf Nehal is a postgraduate of SOAS, University of London, with a strong dedication to climate activism, especially within the youth community. His efforts have garnered recognition, including being acknowledged as a Youth Climate Leader by the Delegation of the European Union to India and being featured as a Youth Climate Activist by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific. Ashraf has also held the esteemed position of Global Youth Ambassador for Theirworld. Presently, he serves as the Global Coordination Executive for YOUNGO, the Official Children and Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC.
[email protected]
Lovansh Katiyar
Policy Officer and Researcher
Lovansh Katiyar holds an MPhil in Development Studies from the University of Cambridge and has work experience of over 3 years in social development and policy. He was previously Senior Editor of the Cambridge Journal of Political Affairs and worked for diverse organisations—from global think tanks and research organisations, consultancies, and international nonprofit organisations, to the office of the Member of Parliament and UNCTAD—where he honed skills for working with diverse social problems and policy solutions.